The enzyme urease, which produces ammonia from urea, can be used as a cancer therapeutic. This enzyme has two important functions that can be utilized by tumors. The enzyme produces ammonia that in itself is toxic and can kill cancer cells. The other function is increasing extracellular pH, thus making the environment basic. Most solid tumors have a local microenvironment that is acidic. Anticancer drugs that are weakly basic cannot enter cancer cells in such an acidic environment. Urease, therefore, provides indirect antitumor effects via pH change.
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